1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for mounting printed circuit boards and, more particularly, is directed towards card cages.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Card cages have been designed for mounting and interconnecting a plurality of printed circuit boards. The card cage is a substantially rectangular structure having upper and lower card guide pairs, each pair designed to mount one circuit board. Each card guide has a channel that is configured to receive one edge of a printed circuit board, the boards being mounted side-by-side. Due to the closeness of the mounted circuit boards, the card guides must be relatively rigid to prevent the boards from moving and touching each other. Large card guide structures hamper air flow across the components on the circuit board and prevent full utilization of the circuit boards. Attempts to decrease the cross-sectional area of the card guides in order to provide increased air flow have been met with limited success due to the increased flexibility resulting from the decrease in cross-sectional area and structural strength of the card guide. Such flexibility has resulted in the circuit boards touching. A need has arisen for an improved card cage that provides increased air flow across the circuit boards and permits full utilization of usable circuit board surfaces.